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Ten South By Southwest 2013 Lessons To Apply In Business

SXSW Interactive just wrapped up, and it’s been an intense five days. It was inspiring, exhausting and thought provoking. Not long into my first day I began to notice parallels between surviving SXSW and succeeding as a business owner, so I put together this list of lessons learned:

1. The plan is just a roadmap. You can plan and plan for what you think your SXSW experience will look like and what events you are going to attend, but most of what you’ll end up doing will be impromptu and off the schedule. You have to understand that the plan is just a roadmap; as long as you have a good idea of where you are going, you’ll really benefit from and enjoy all the detours you’ll inevitably encounter along the way.

2. People are much more likely to listen or help if you don’t try to sell them. I saw a lot of people try to push their ideas like street peddlers. SXSW attendees are tired of being repeatedly accosted, so street peddlers get ignored. Focus on helping others first. Listen to their ideas and passions, and their interest in your pursuits will follow.

3. You need a lot of energy! Just like SXSW, business life is non-stop. You have to figure out how to work until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m., get up at 7 a.m., and still function and produce day after day.

4. Follow up immediately after meeting someone. If you delay getting in touch with someone after getting their card, you’ll likely forget all the details of the interaction or what you were supposed to follow up about; and the longer you wait, the less they will remember about you.

5. Your pitch needs to be simple and easy to understand. Meeting hundreds of people who only give you a moment of their time really helps you hone your pitch. You quickly learn that if your explanation is not simple to understand or interesting, they are going to move on and talk to someone else. Tip: if you want to know if you have a strong pitch, occasionally ask someone to tell you what they think your company does after you introduce yourself.

6. There’s a lot of competition out there. There’s no place like SXSW to learn that no matter how brilliant your idea, there’s at least three other companies that think they are going to own the same market. When ideas are plentiful, execution is everything.

7. Potential mentors are everywhere. SXSW has the best and the brightest in attendance, but you have to be selective about who to solicit for advice. Critically assess who will provide the most value to your company and your personal needs and figure out a way to get them to listen. And don’t worry: If they say no, there are at least 10 more people around who can provide you with great advice.

8. Always be prepared to pitch. At SXSW, you never know who might share your elevator or literally bump into you as you round a corner, so look your best, have your pitch down, and always carry your product or something to demo.

9. Have a strategy to market your company. Don’t just give your card to anyone who makes eye contact. Your product or business isn’t for everyone. If you can narrow your focus to a target customer and think of creative ways to reach that target, you will get better results. Otherwise, you just look desperate and your ideas will be ignored.

10. Give yourself time to expand your mind. There are so many thought-provoking lectures and panels at SXSW that can have profound impacts on your business or your personal life. But you don’t need to wait for SXSW each year to reflect and learn something new. Opportunities to learn and develop are all around you, so remember to make time for them every now and then.

What did you learn from SXSW that will help you in your company? Use the comments to help keep the conversation going.

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